Little People, Big World

Little People, Big World (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Little People, Big World is an American reality television series on TLC. The series debuted on March 4, 2006. The series follows the six-member Roloff family farm near Portland, Oregon. Many of the episodes focus on the parents, Matt and Amy, and one of their sons, Zach, who are diagnosed with dwarfism.

On August 26, 2010 TLC announced that the sixth season would be the last for the show. The show is also available for download on iTunes.

On July 7, 2011 it was officially announced that Little People, Big World will return to TLC for 4 brand new specials.

On October 5, 2012, TLC announced a spin-off of the series: Little People Big World: Wedding Farm, which debuted on November 13, 2012.

Background

In 2010 cast member Amy Roloff commented on the beginnings of the show: "The Learning Channel (TLC) came to us about five or six years ago, and so we suddenly realized we were given a great opportunity to educate people about dwarfism. When it was offered that we do a show about our lives, my husband and I were like, "Wow, nothing like this has even been on the air." Nothing had depicted dwarfism in an everyday way. Lo and behold, a few episodes turned into six seasons. And here we are."

Premise

The show follows the daily lives of the Roloff family "? parents Matt and Amy, and their four children: Zach, Jeremy, Molly and Jacob. Matt, Amy and Zach are little people, while Jeremy, Molly and Jacob are of average height or greater. Teenagers Zach and Jeremy are fraternal twins; although Zach is not of average height, his brother Jeremy is above average height (6'1", or 185 cm).

The family lives on the Roloff Farms, located north of Hillsboro in Helvetia, Oregon (a suburb of Portland). Although crops of pumpkins are grown and sold by the family, much of the farm has been converted into a series of playground set pieces for the Roloff children. They were designed by Matt, who spent most of his childhood in the hospital. He has tried to make his children's life the best possible.

Episodes of the show typically showcase one or more members of the Roloff family engaging in everyday activities such as shopping, athletics and dealing with household finances. The drama of the show arises from the fact that many of these activities are made more challenging due to the height of the dwarfs in the family, as Matt and Amy are 4'1" (124 cm) and Zach is 4'4" (132 cm).

As with any reality show, the segments that are aired are ones that are expected to generate viewer interest. However, Little People, Big World avoids portraying the Roloffs in a stereotypical or sensational light. The situations encountered in the show are ones that most families deal with, although the ways in which the Roloffs deal with them are unique to them and are from the perspective of little people.

The Roloffs have several close friends who appear regularly on the show, among them actor Martin Klebba who has known Amy for over 20 years.

The family

Immediate family

Matthew ("Matt") "? year-old (b. October 7, 1961, in California) husband and father; Matt's most recent career was in computer software sales. As the series began, Matt was no longer employed by the company, but was engaged in establishing the business he co-founded, Direct Access Solutions. The company markets accessibility kits for little people to the hospitality industry. As the first season ended, Matt started another job as a software salesman with Amdocs in order to provide the family with additional income. Matt's type of dwarfism, diastrophic dysplasia, resulted in numerous childhood surgeries. He walks with the aid of crutches and uses a motorized cart when needed.

Amy "? year-old (b. September 17, 1964, in Michigan) wife and mother; Amy is a stay-at-home mother, although she recently took part-time jobs as a soccer coach and preschool teacher to provide the family with additional income. Amy's type of dwarfism is achondroplasia, and she has experienced very few (if any) complications. Amy is a graduate of Central Michigan University. When not acting, coaching, parenting, or teaching, she's a philanthropist. Her Amy Roloff Charity Foundation makes use of her celebrity by benefitting the needs' of kids, at-risk youths, and disability groups. Amy's also given back to the Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA), helped fund an organization for foster care parents and the kids they've adopted, as well as supported low-income senior housing and a homeless shelter focusing on keeping family units together.

Zachary Luke ("Zach") and Jeremy James ("Jer") "? year-old (b. May 10, 1990, in Oregon) twin brothers. Jeremy is 6'1" and a soccer player. Zach has achondroplasia like his mother. Zach is 4'4" and Amy is 4'2". Unlike his mother, however, Zach has had numerous medical complications. As a child, Zach had a skull shunt implanted to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid. The shunt failed and had to be replaced surgically (as depicted in the season one episode "Zach's Emergency"). Zach used to play soccer competitively, but stopped playing for a time due to his size compared to the other soccer players. In Season 2-B, he started playing competitive soccer again as he made his high school's soccer team. However, his play was on hold temporarily as he had surgery to correct the bowing of his legs. He would like to be a soccer coach when he is older and coached Jacob's soccer team. Both twins graduated from high school in the spring of 2009. Zach made an appearance on WWE Tough Enough as part of a basketball game against little people.

Jacob George ("Jake") "? year-old (b. January 17, 1997, in Oregon) son; Jacob is average height. He plays on a youth soccer team coached by his mother.

Rocky - The Roloffs' aging bullmastiff

Jacob's accident

Jacob Roloff and family friend Mike Detjen, were seriously injured in an accident on the family farm on Saturday, October 28, 2006 (episode aired April 9, 2007). They were injured when the family's trebuchet (which they use to launch pumpkins as part of the pumpkin season promotion) prematurely triggered. Jacob was rushed to nearby St. Vincent Hospital and underwent surgery to relieve swelling in his head caused by a small piece of skull pushed into his brain. Jacob and Mike recovered from the injuries and were released on Monday, October 30, 2006.

Although a TLC camera crew were at the farm recording footage, they were not in the area where the accident occurred. The accident, therefore, was not recorded. Prior to the airing of two new episodes on November 4, TLC aired a brief segment with Matt and Amy acknowledging the accident and thanking everyone for their support. Jacob was shown with what appeared to be an injury around his right eye.

Footage taken shortly after the accident occurred on the farm was shown December 16 in the final minutes of the season finale, "Farm Overload." A crowd had gathered around Jacob, who was lying on the ground near the trebuchet. The first two episodes of season 3 focus on the accident, and how the local media reacted to it.

Seasons

Season

Season Premiere

Season Finale

1

March 4, 2006

May 13, 2006

2-A

October 7, 2006

December 16, 2006

2-B

April 9, 2007

June 4, 2007

3-A

October 15, 2007

December 17, 2007

3-B

March 3, 2008

May 3, 2008

4-A

October 13, 2008

December 13, 2008

4-B

February 15, 2009

May 15, 2009

5-A

October 12, 2009

January 12, 2010

5-B

April 5, 2010

June 14, 2010

6

September 6, 2010

December 6, 2010

Episodes

Multimedia

Books

Little Family, Big Values: Lessons in Love, Respect, and Understanding for Families of Any Size

DVDs

Title

Region 1

Region 2

Discs

Little People, Big World: Season 1

October 2, 2007

3

Little People, Big World: Season 2, Volume 1

September 2, 2008

3

Little People, Big World: Season 3, Volume 1

September 2, 2010

3

Reception

The first season of Little People, Big World generated solid ratings for TLC (especially in the important 18"49 demographic), leading to the show's renewal for a second season. Critical reviews of the series have been generally positive, citing the show's positive portrayal of little people. Conversely, other reviews have claimed that the show has a voyeuristic bend to it (albeit a non-sexual one), but allows the viewer to feel good about watching because it is not outwardly or overtly exploitive.

Since the show began airing, Roloff Farms has become an extremely popular tourist destination. While the farm and its many attractions have long been available for public viewing during pumpkin season (October), it is now receiving far more visitors than can be accommodated. During the 2006 season, more than 30,000 people arrived to buy pumpkins and tour the farm, which only has space for a few hundred vehicles. The farm was shut down temporarily by Washington County deputies on one Saturday in October 2006, due to massive traffic. Area residents have complained about the gridlock caused by the visitors, as well as about the increased media scrutiny the show has brought.

The Roloffs receive as many as a dozen emails per minute from supporters. The increased exposure, however, has led to safety concerns for the family, who now deal with trespassers and jealous fans. They recently installed a security gate on their property.

The Roloffs have hit the headlines a number of times. In 2006, Jacob and Mike Detjen, a family friend, were severely injured when a pumpkin catapult prematurely launched. In 2007, Matt was arrested on DUI charges. While he was found not guilty of the DUI, he was found guilty of refusing to submit to a blood alcohol test. As a result of his refusal, his driver's license was suspended for three years, because he had previously admitted guilt in a drunken-driving diversion program that he completed in 2003.
The sixth and final full season of Little People, Big World premiered on September 6, 2010.